The Papua New Guinea University of Technology

Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering

EE101- Introduction to Engineering

Lesson Three
Topic: Basic Concept to Computer
3.1 Introduction
A computer is a programmable machine designed to perform arithmetic and logical operations
automatically and sequentially on the input given by the user and gives the desired output after
processing.
Benefits of Computers;
The three main benefits of using computers are:
1. Speed
2. Accuracy
3. Capacity to take large amount of work.
Computer work at a very high speed and are much faster than humans. The human equivalent of
an average computer would be more than one million mathematicians working 24 hours a day.

Computer components are divided into two major categories namely hardware and software.

1. Hardware is the machine itself and its connected devices such as monitor, keyboard,
mouse etc.
2. Software are the set of programs that make use of hardware for performing various
functions. Such as, multimedia player, Microsoft office, VLC etc.

3.2 The main four (4) operation of computer.

A computer system operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory and it is
consist of four basic units; they are known as, input unit, storage unit, central processing unit and
output unit. Central Processing unit further includes
Arithmetic logic unit and control unit, as shown in Figure 3.1.

Functional Units

i. Input Unit:
This unit is used for entering data and programs into the computer system by the user for
processing.
 Dotted lines (– – – –) indicate
flow of instruction solid lines
(–––––) indicate flow of data

Fig. 3.1 Basic computer process

ii. Storage Unit: The storage unit is used for storing data and instructions before and after
processing.
iii. Output Unit: The output unit is used for storing the result as output produced by the
computer after processing.
iv. Processing: The task of performing operations like arithmetic and logical operations is
called processing. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) takes data and instructions from
the storage unit and makes all sorts of calculations based on the instructions given and the
type of data provided. It is then sent back to the storage unit. CPU includes Arithmetic
logic unit (ALU) and control unit (CU).
 Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): It performs all the calculations and comparisons
arithmetic functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and also logical
operations like greater than, less than and equal to etc.
 Control Unit: Controlling of all operations like input, processing and output are
performed by control unit. It takes care of step by step processing of all operations inside
the computer.

3.3 Memory

Computer’s memory can be classified into two types; primary memory and secondary memory.

3.3.1 Primary Memory includes RAM and ROM.

 Random Access Memory (RAM): It is the place in a computer where the operating
system, application programs and the data in current use are kept temporarily so that they
can be accessed by the computer’s processor. It is said to be ‘volatile’ since its contents
are accessible only as long as the computer is on. The contents of RAM are no more
available once the computer is turned off.
 Read Only Memory (ROM): It is a special type of memory which can only be read and
contents of which are not lost even when the computer is switched off. It typically
contains manufacturer’s instructions. Among other things, ROM also stores an initial
program called the ‘bootstrap loader’ whose function is to start the operation of computer
system once the power is turned on.
3.3.2 Secondary Memory

RAM is volatile memory having a limited storage capacity. Secondary/auxiliary memory is

storage other than the RAM. These include devices that are peripheral and are connected and
controlled by the computer to enable permanent storage of programs and data. Secondary storage
devices are of two types; magnetic and optical. Magnetic devices include hard disks and optical
storage devices are CDs, DVDs, Pen drive, Zip drive etc.

 Hard disk: made up of rigid material and are usually a stack of metal disks sealed in a
box. The hard disk and the hard disk drive exist together as a unit and is a permanent part
of the computer where data and programs are saved. The storage capacities ranging from
1GB to 80 GB and more. Hard disks are rewritable.
 Compact Disk (CD). It is the portable disk having data storage capacity between 650-
700 MB. It can hold large amount of information such as music, full-motion videos, and
text etc. CDs can be either read only or read write type.
 Digital Video Disk (DVD). It is similar to a CD but has larger storage capacity and
enormous clarity. Depending upon the disk type it can store several Gigabytes of data.
DVDs are primarily used to store music or movies and can be played back on your
television or the computer too. These are not rewritable.

3.3.3 Input and Output Devices

Input/output devices are required for users to communicate with the computer. In simple terms,
input devices bring information INTO the computer and output devices bring information OUT
of a computer system. These input/output devices are also known as peripherals since they
surround the CPU and memory of a computer system.

I. Input Devices
An input device is any device that provides input to a computer. There are many input devices,
but the two most common ones are a keyboard and mouse. Every key you press on the keyboard
and every movement or click you make with the mouse sends a specific input signal to the
computer. Such as; key board, mouse, scanner, light pen, etc.
II. Output Devices
The processed data, stored in the memory of the computer is sent to the output unit, which then
converts it into a form that can be understood by the user. The output is usually produced in one
of the two ways – on the display device, or on paper (hard copy). Such as; monitor, printer,
Plotter, facsimile. Etc.
3.4 COMPUTER LANGUAGE

Computer language or programming language is a coded syntax used by computer programmers

to communicate with a computer. Computer language establishes a flow of communication
between software programs. The language enables a computer user to dictate what commands
that the computer must perform to process data. These languages can be classified into following
categories (Fig. 1.10).
1. Machine language
2. Assembly language
3. High level language

3.4.1 Machine Language

Machine language or machine code is the native language directly understood by the computer’s
central processing unit or CPU. This type of computer language is not easy to understand, as it
only uses a binary system, an element of notations containing only a series of numbers consisting
of one and zero, to produce commands.

3.4.2 Assembly Level Language

Assembly Level Language is a set of codes that can run directly on the computer’s processor.
This type of language is most appropriate in writing operating systems and maintaining desktop
applications. With the assembly level language, it is easier for a programmer to define
commands. It is easier to understand and use as compared to machine language.

3.4.3 High Level Language

High Level Languages are user-friendly languages which are similar to English with vocabulary
of words and symbols. These are easier to learn and require less time to write. They are problem
oriented rather than ‘machine’ based. Program written in a high-level language can be translated
into many machine languages and therefore can run on any computer for which there exists an
appropriate translator. Eg. Java. C++. 59VC

3.4.4 Compiler & Interpreter

These are the programs that execute instructions written in a high-level language. There are two
ways to run programs written in a high-level language. The most common is to compile the
program; the other method is to pass the program through an interpreter.

a. Compiler
A compiler is a special program that processes statements written in a particular programming
language called as source code and converts them into machine language or “machine code” that
a computer’s processor uses.
Compiler translates high level language programs directly into machine language program. This
process is called compilation. (Fig 3.2)

Fig. 3.2 Compilation

b. Interpreter
An interpreter translates high-level instructions into an intermediate form, which it then executes.
Compiled programs generally run faster than interpreted programs. The advantage of an
interpreter, however, is that it does not need to go through the compilation stage during which
machine instructions are generated. This process can be time-consuming if the program is long.
(Fig 3.3)

Fig 3.3. Interpretation

3.5 Operating system (OS)

An operating system is the software that holds all the programs and responsible for the computer to
perform various task. It is the platform for all task between user and application to share and run
smoothly. In short, an operating system enables user interaction with computer systems by acting as an
interface between users or application programs and the computer hardware. Some of the common
operating systems are LINUX, Windows, etc.